Thanks for all the input. These are all good suggestions on how to apply manacles and in general they match up with the approaches I would take. They are great house rules.
However, I was trying to figure out how to apply the use of manacles in the context of Adventurers League which runs the game as close to RAW as possible. A character who uses Raulothim's Psychic Lance or Hypnotic Pattern or Hold Person/Monster or a monk's stun ability to Incapacitate a target then runs up and applies Dimensional Shackles to the creature which prevent teleportation and which also act as "manacles".
On the surface, it looks like a decent combination but since the effects of manacles are not well defined in RAW does that mean that they do nothing in an AL context or is the interpretation entirely up to the DM?
On the surface, it looks like a decent combination but since the effects of manacles are not well defined in RAW does that mean that they do nothing in an AL context or is the interpretation entirely up to the DM?
It's mostly up to the DM; the problem with Adventurer's League trying to be 100% rules as written only is that a lot of things in D&D simply don't have rules, that's why we have a DM in the first place. A huge chunk of the game is using common sense to know when to apply advantage/disadvantage, raise or lower difficulties etc., and unfortunately we don't always have a great deal of guidance on what the "correct" (or at least intended) method is even for common examples.
However, players can give themselves a bit of control by being as clear as possible about what exactly they're trying to achieve; for example, do you use the manacles to bind the target's hands together to impede their actions, or to bind them to yourself so they can't easily get away from you? If you bind their hands do you leave them in front for comfort/civility at the risk of them still being able to take some actions (albeit clumsily) or do you put them behind which will be painful but more secure?
Advantage and disadvantage are tools explicitly given to DMs to apply to make rolls easier or harder depending upon context; trying to do anything that manacles would make clumsier is a pretty good case for when to apply disadvantage. For example, let's say you want to pick a lock; the DC of the check is determined by the quality of the lock, not the person picking it, so it doesn't make really sense to make that harder, however you're trying to do a dextrous task with your hands while wearing heavy metal around the wrists, so disadvantage does makes sense in that case unless your character specifically trains to pick locks while wearing manacles or something.
Likewise attacking with a weapon effectively can be argued as impeded even with hands bound to the front, as you can no longer steady yourself with the other arm, or use to easily grab, block etc. It's a trickier case though because you have to start thinking about how the person in manacles is attacking; if you just want to thrust with a dagger that might go ahead normally, but your inability to block could mean an enemy gets advantage against you instead. It's pretty much 100% context and judgement calls, which is why it gets so tricky (and why there are no explicit rules), as the "dish out advantage/disadvantage when it makes sense" rule pretty much covers anything that's been made easier/harder in the game.
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What about using 1/2 of a manacle in combat? Imagine I had already fastened one of the manacle cuffs to my leg and used stealth to get close to an NPC. Could I use and action or basic action (especially if I had practiced this nightly with a party member so I was proficient with this pair of manacles) in order to bind myself to an NPC? I know, I know.... ask my DM. I am asking if you were my DM, what call would you make?
Sleight of Hand check against either the NPC's Perception check or passive Perception, depending on whether or not they're on guard.
If they're aware of you, it'd be a contested Sleight of Hand check against the NPC's Dexterity save.
Oh and it would use your Action.
But that's just how I would rule it. Other DMs might call for a melee attack roll against the NPC's AC, or just a Dex save against a DC.
I would then rule that if either you or the NPC wish to move (this is assuming in different directions), it would be a contested Athletics check for every 10 feet.
Follow up to this scenario, if you are successfully manacled by your leg to an NPC's leg, what would happen if you shot them with some displacement spell like a warlock's repelling blast? If you braced yourself, could you ride the NPC through the air like you were surfing on a magic broom?
I would rule that you and the NPC are both pushed by 5 feet in the appropriate direction. And no, you can't fly using it. Two reasons:
1: Game balance. The GM has every right to say "no, it doesn't work like that" in any given scenario, but especially those in which a player is trying to abuse the system.
2: Weight. It's generally much easier to push something across the floor than it is to lift it. I would rule that if a Warlock used Repelling Blast to launch an NPC upwards, the NPC would move up by a maximum of 5 feet. Now consider the fact that you're effectivey trying to push *two* creatures with the same amount of force, instead of one. Both you and the NPC would move 2-3 feet at most.
But even then, you would fall back to the ground before your next turn came around anyway.
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Thanks for all the input. These are all good suggestions on how to apply manacles and in general they match up with the approaches I would take. They are great house rules.
However, I was trying to figure out how to apply the use of manacles in the context of Adventurers League which runs the game as close to RAW as possible. A character who uses Raulothim's Psychic Lance or Hypnotic Pattern or Hold Person/Monster or a monk's stun ability to Incapacitate a target then runs up and applies Dimensional Shackles to the creature which prevent teleportation and which also act as "manacles".
On the surface, it looks like a decent combination but since the effects of manacles are not well defined in RAW does that mean that they do nothing in an AL context or is the interpretation entirely up to the DM?
It's mostly up to the DM; the problem with Adventurer's League trying to be 100% rules as written only is that a lot of things in D&D simply don't have rules, that's why we have a DM in the first place. A huge chunk of the game is using common sense to know when to apply advantage/disadvantage, raise or lower difficulties etc., and unfortunately we don't always have a great deal of guidance on what the "correct" (or at least intended) method is even for common examples.
However, players can give themselves a bit of control by being as clear as possible about what exactly they're trying to achieve; for example, do you use the manacles to bind the target's hands together to impede their actions, or to bind them to yourself so they can't easily get away from you? If you bind their hands do you leave them in front for comfort/civility at the risk of them still being able to take some actions (albeit clumsily) or do you put them behind which will be painful but more secure?
Advantage and disadvantage are tools explicitly given to DMs to apply to make rolls easier or harder depending upon context; trying to do anything that manacles would make clumsier is a pretty good case for when to apply disadvantage. For example, let's say you want to pick a lock; the DC of the check is determined by the quality of the lock, not the person picking it, so it doesn't make really sense to make that harder, however you're trying to do a dextrous task with your hands while wearing heavy metal around the wrists, so disadvantage does makes sense in that case unless your character specifically trains to pick locks while wearing manacles or something.
Likewise attacking with a weapon effectively can be argued as impeded even with hands bound to the front, as you can no longer steady yourself with the other arm, or use to easily grab, block etc. It's a trickier case though because you have to start thinking about how the person in manacles is attacking; if you just want to thrust with a dagger that might go ahead normally, but your inability to block could mean an enemy gets advantage against you instead. It's pretty much 100% context and judgement calls, which is why it gets so tricky (and why there are no explicit rules), as the "dish out advantage/disadvantage when it makes sense" rule pretty much covers anything that's been made easier/harder in the game.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
I would rule that you and the NPC are both pushed by 5 feet in the appropriate direction. And no, you can't fly using it. Two reasons:
1: Game balance. The GM has every right to say "no, it doesn't work like that" in any given scenario, but especially those in which a player is trying to abuse the system.
2: Weight. It's generally much easier to push something across the floor than it is to lift it. I would rule that if a Warlock used Repelling Blast to launch an NPC upwards, the NPC would move up by a maximum of 5 feet. Now consider the fact that you're effectivey trying to push *two* creatures with the same amount of force, instead of one. Both you and the NPC would move 2-3 feet at most.
But even then, you would fall back to the ground before your next turn came around anyway.
[REDACTED]